Max Lucado Daily: FINDING GOD’S WILL
Ever have trouble determining God’s will for your future? You’re not alone. The questions are endless. Every new responsibility brings new decisions. How in the world do we know what God wants?
To know God’s will, we must totally surrender to God’s will. Our tendency is to make God’s decision for him. Don’t go to God with options and expect him to choose one of your preferences. Go to him with empty hands—no hidden agendas, no crossed fingers, nothing behind your back. Go to him with a willingness to do whatever he says.
Have trouble determining God’s will for you? The Bible says that if you surrender your will, then he will “equip you with everything good for doing his will” (Hebrews 13:21). It’s a promise!
From God is With You Every Day
1 Chronicles 27
Army Divisions
27 This is the list of the Israelites—heads of families, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and their officers, who served the king in all that concerned the army divisions that were on duty month by month throughout the year. Each division consisted of 24,000 men.
2 In charge of the first division, for the first month, was Jashobeam son of Zabdiel. There were 24,000 men in his division. 3 He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army officers for the first month.
4 In charge of the division for the second month was Dodai the Ahohite; Mikloth was the leader of his division. There were 24,000 men in his division.
5 The third army commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. He was chief and there were 24,000 men in his division. 6 This was the Benaiah who was a mighty warrior among the Thirty and was over the Thirty. His son Ammizabad was in charge of his division.
7 The fourth, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab; his son Zebadiah was his successor. There were 24,000 men in his division.
8 The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
9 The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
10 The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
11 The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbekai the Hushathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
12 The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjamite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
13 The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
14 The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.
15 The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, from the family of Othniel. There were 24,000 men in his division.
Leaders of the Tribes
16 The leaders of the tribes of Israel:
over the Reubenites: Eliezer son of Zikri;
over the Simeonites: Shephatiah son of Maakah;
17 over Levi: Hashabiah son of Kemuel;
over Aaron: Zadok;
18 over Judah: Elihu, a brother of David;
over Issachar: Omri son of Michael;
19 over Zebulun: Ishmaiah son of Obadiah;
over Naphtali: Jerimoth son of Azriel;
20 over the Ephraimites: Hoshea son of Azaziah;
over half the tribe of Manasseh: Joel son of Pedaiah;
21 over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead: Iddo son of Zechariah;
over Benjamin: Jaasiel son of Abner;
22 over Dan: Azarel son of Jeroham.
These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
23 David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. God’s wrath came on Israel on account of this numbering, and the number was not entered in the book[e] of the annals of King David.
The King’s Overseers
25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses.
Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the outlying districts, in the towns, the villages and the watchtowers.
26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the workers who farmed the land.
27 Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards.
Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.
28 Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western foothills.
Joash was in charge of the supplies of olive oil.
29 Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon.
Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.
30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels.
Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.
31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks.
All these were the officials in charge of King David’s property.
32 Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of insight and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hakmoni took care of the king’s sons.
33 Ahithophel was the king’s counselor.
Hushai the Arkite was the king’s confidant. 34 Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar.
Joab was the commander of the royal army.
Footnotes:
1 Chronicles 27:24 Septuagint; Hebrew number
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Monday, June 27, 2016
A Warning against Drifting Away
So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. 3 So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? 4 And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose.
INSIGHT:
The word translated “drift away” appears only once in the New Testament (Heb. 2:1). It means to flow from alongside, flow past, or slip away. It is used figuratively to illustrate the gradual giving up of one’s belief in the truth or a drifting away from belief. The writer of Hebrews uses this uncommon word to warn the Hebrews to pay careful attention to and not ignore the message and miracles of Jesus. They announce and confirm the salvation He bring
No Drifting
By Lawrence Darmani
We must pay the most careful attention . . . so that we do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1
At the end of one school semester, my wife and I picked up our daughter from her school 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. On our way back home we detoured to a nearby beach resort for snacks. While enjoying our time there, we watched the boats at the seashore. Usually they are anchored to prevent them from drifting away, but I noticed one boat drifting unhindered among the others—slowly and steadily making its way out to sea.
As we drove home, I reflected on the timely caution given to believers in the book of Hebrews: "We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away" (Heb. 2:1). We have good reason to stay close. The author of Hebrews says that while the Mosaic law was reliable and needed to be obeyed, the message of the Son of God is far superior. Our salvation is “so great” in Jesus that He shouldn’t be ignored (v. 3).
To avoid drifting away from God, stay anchored to the Rock.
Drifting in our relationship with God is hardly noticeable at first; it happens gradually. However, spending time talking with Him in prayer and reading His Word, confessing our wrongs to Him, and interacting with other followers of Jesus can help us stay anchored in Him. As we connect with the Lord regularly, He will be faithful to sustain us, and we can avoid drifting away.
What do you know about Jesus that keeps you wanting to be near Him?
Share your thoughts at odb.org
To avoid drifting away from God, stay anchored to the Rock
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Monday, June 27, 2016
The Overshadowing of God’s Personal Deliverance
"…I am with you to deliver you," says the Lord. —Jeremiah 1:8
God promised Jeremiah that He would deliver him personally— “…your life shall be as a prize to you…” (Jeremiah 39:18). That is all God promises His children. Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose. If this is not the case, we will have panic, heartache, and distress. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.
The Sermon on the Mount indicates that when we are on a mission for Jesus Christ, there is no time to stand up for ourselves. Jesus says, in effect, “Don’t worry about whether or not you are being treated justly.” Looking for justice is actually a sign that we have been diverted from our devotion to Him. Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it. If we look for justice, we will only begin to complain and to indulge ourselves in the discontent of self-pity, as if to say, “Why should I be treated like this?” If we are devoted to Jesus Christ, we have nothing to do with what we encounter, whether it is just or unjust. In essence, Jesus says, “Continue steadily on with what I have told you to do, and I will guard your life. If you try to guard it yourself, you remove yourself from My deliverance.” Even the most devout among us become atheistic in this regard— we do not believe Him. We put our common sense on the throne and then attach God’s name to it. We do lean to our own understanding, instead of trusting God with all our hearts (see Proverbs 3:5-6).
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
We never enter into the Kingdom of God by having our head questions answered, but only by commitment. The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 565 R
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, June 26, 2015
Three Loves That Can Sink You - #7425
There was this county fair my wife convinced me we needed to go to, and I got to see a different world for this old city boy! It was a 4x4 pull, where people in all kinds of four-wheel drive vehicles were competing. The challenge? To pull this massive sled as far as possible. The first event featured standard, unmodified pickup trucks. All the drivers were male except one. Well, the engines roared for about an hour as one truck after another revved and pulled and strained and finally slowed down until it could go no further.
Guess who won the 4x4 pull? Yep, the little blonde-haired girl in the blue pickup truck. And I think I know why she beat all those guys. She studied every competitor ahead of her; especially she studied that sandy spot in the arena where most of them seemed to bog down. And she skillfully maneuvered around that soft spot and she went the farthest - at least partly because she avoided what had sunk others.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Three Loves That Can Sink You."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Corinthians 10:5 and following, where Paul is looking back at some ancient believers who got off to a great start but bogged down before the end of their race. But this is a lot more than a history lesson. This is an important warning for you and me, because it establishes the wonderful relationship they had with the Lord and a life of many spiritual experiences. A lot like us!
Then this is what the Bible says, "Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them. Their bodies were scattered over the desert." Now, why do we need to notice this about them? He says, "Now these things occurred as an example to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did." Like the surprise winner of that truck pull, we can win if we study what sank those who went ahead of us and avoid those holes.
The Bible then turns its lens away from the believers of the past and then aims it right at you and me. It says, "These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us. So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall." See, God's plea is that we learn from the falls of others; that we keep from "setting our hearts on evil things."
One of the most respected Bible teachers of another century said that it always seemed that one of three loves is what sank every spiritual casualty he had known. After many years in the Lord's work, I think I agree. If you hope to be of service to the Lord and you want to finish without sinking, you need to face which one of these loves might be most likely to sink you.
One is the love of money. Maybe you're vulnerable to temptation when it comes to money. The second is the love of women. So many men have lost before their race was over because they lowered their guard, flirted when they should have been fleeing, and allowed Satan to exploit their weakness. The third love is the love of power. In some ways this is the most insidious because there's no smoking gun as there usually is when you sin financially or you sin sexually. But this is the sin that cost Lucifer heaven. It's pride, and it's still wrecking lives today. Which one, the love of money, the love of women or love of the opposite sex, or is it the love of power and control?
The Bible warns us not to over-estimate our ability to resist temptation. It tells us to live cautiously, openly admitting to God and ourselves where we are vulnerable. And it counsels us to always choose the road that leads away from the opportunity to sin that sin.
Would you look where others went down? If you do that, you can drive your life around those pitfalls. You can finish a champion!